A Picture Tells A Thousand Rows

When it comes to words, those who read visually can manage almost three times as many per minute as regular readers. Under pressure of time to complete a task, that means that their ability to process visually allows them either to deliver in significantly less time – or to use that extra time to strategize towards a more thoughtful conclusion.

When it comes to data, we understand much less about individual processing styles not least because we increasingly rely on technology to read the data for us. But in many environments working with live data, advantage depends on individual judgement, drawn from identifying the patterns hiding within constantly changing data. A good DataGrid can do a lot to help, in directing the eye to the selection it needs – but on its own, that can only go so far.

The brain needs to recognize the material coming in, sort it into categories, understand what is already known and what is new, and encode the information in order to learn from it. It does this most effectively when the information can somehow be fitted in to a known framework.

Even as our grasp of artificial intelligence expands, there is so much about the human brain we don’t yet understand. But it is clear that pictures can trigger critical skills and unlock new solutions. The speed of visual recognition compared to pure cognition also allows the brain to respond more rapidly to information presented in this way.

It took more than a millennium and a half from when human being created the first DataGrid, to the creation of the first information charts. Now the market-leading Adaptable Blotter from Adaptable Tools and Infragistics’ charting capability have worked together to deliver a fully integrated offering.

Launched this week, the combination includes charts which update automatically as the DataGrid changes, provided in multiple different formats and styles to enable personalized views, and the ability to share charts easily with colleagues.

Florence Nightingale’s charts delivered seismic changes in army hygiene. Charts used to analyze London cholera deaths in 1854 managed to detect the source of the disease. Lives may not be at stake in these scenarios, but nonetheless the chart / DataGrid combination will free up valuable extra seconds that makes all the difference.